


The Oceans Have Eyes

by NerdButton



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, F/F, Magical Tattoos, MerMay, MerMay 2020, Mermaid Rayla, Merpeople, good dad Viren, who actually cares about his kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:53:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24341611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NerdButton/pseuds/NerdButton
Summary: The seas are not meant for us.They belong to something else - that fact has been clear for longer than history records, etchings scribed into stones around the coast the world over, depicting those who live where we cannot follow. Beings so close to human it can only be intentional, but an intent that serves as a means to lure their prey closer.Then there are stories, rarer still, of those who went willingly into the ocean.Raydia Mermaid AU for MerMay 2020.
Relationships: Claudia/Rayla (The Dragon Prince)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 55





	The Oceans Have Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> Hello folks! Decided to do something for MerMay (mermaydia? :p) this year, which I've never done before. I did have a bit more planned with this one but not sure if there's even any interest for it so I'm posting what I've done anyways. 
> 
> Let me know if you would be interested in seeing more from this story in a comment! :) 
> 
> If anyone wants to message me about this or any of my other stories, you can find me on tumblr: @shallitickleyournerdbutton
> 
> Enjoy!

The sea was never meant for us.

Stories from lucky survivors tell all sorts of fantasies - of monsters with tails that wind down, down so far into the depths you cannot tell where they begin. Of teeth, sharp and myriad, gleaming in the pale light of the moon. Of eyes, reflective under the water surface, in colours not at all earthly.

Those who return often bear wounds that do not heal even with a lifetime to do so, magical burns on their skin from hands far too close to human.

There are rules for the few stubborn enough to dwell by the oceans, told to children while young, too young to understand the fear woven in the stories: respect the ocean and all its children, and never draw too much of its attention. For those who are bold enough to venture to sea, never look past the protection of your vessel after night. You most certainly do not answer any call from the water, neither with anger or with welcome.

And if ever you see eyes gazing back at you from below the surface, it is too late.

The seas are not meant for us. They belong to something else - that fact has been clear for longer than history records, etchings scribed into stones around the coast the world over, depicting those who live where we cannot follow. Beings so close to human it can only be intentional, but an intent that serves as a means to lure their prey closer.

Then there are stories, rarer still, of those who went willingly into the ocean. Whispered echoes caught on the wind, telling tales about missing souls who paved their own path into the deep waters and were welcomed by its embrace.

"Fairytales", her father had said. "Do not become smitten with lies. Those souls drowned, like all the others."

She had never had any reason not to believe him. He had always been right before. And she had always listened to him, to the warnings from the others.

Yet, when no one was watching, the urge to peer over the edge and into the waves crashing against their ship would press itself against her. Ebbing and flowing with the motions of the sea that calls to her.

Just one little peek.

But then one became two. And three. And four. And on and on, for years.

Tempting fate, with each little indiscretion.

When you hold a conch to your ear, you hear the sea in your head. Most children have done it, she certainly had while growing up. But when the sea looks back at you, no matter how hard the waves may crash, you do not hear them.

The first time her gaze was met equally, her body lurched itself away from the side of her father's ship and tossed her far away, further than she would have been able to without the spike of fear driving her motions. The cold shock of the cabin wall as it hits her back freezes her gasp, forces her to cover her mouth with a shaking hand and wait out the seconds for anyone within to come investigating the noise. Thin, sea-battered walls do not take much impact to signal anyone sitting on the other side, but the seconds tick by and she remains alone on the deck.

She does not look back into the water again that night, or any night after.

She does not need to.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The daytime is supposed to be safer, attacks and sightings far less common when beaten back by the glare of the sun. But she knows, knows the feeling of eyes watching her from a distance. Sometimes from afar, sometimes much closer.

The iridescent shimmer of scales below the surface of the water by their ship catches her attention even when she consciously forces herself against looking; an errant flash in the corner of her eye while helping sail, or dock, or load the ship.

Watching. Following. Waiting.

She wants to tell her father, ask for his help after confessing to breaking the rules and bringing this upon herself. Upon them all. The uncertainty of what it would mean for them stops her - the acknowledgement of her stalker would make it that much more real. Her father would dock the ship until the threat could be dealt with, and they were already struggling enough this year.

She kept quiet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In time, it appears that her shadow has lost some interest, the fleeting sight of a figure in the waters nearby becoming less frequent. Still, the now familiar scaled tail can be seen occasionally disappearing behind the side of their boat or the rocky shores. It's hard to tell from a distance, but the tail itself seems much longer than when she had first glimpsed it under the surface. An oddly comforting thought - maybe the one following her was just young and too far from home. The fact that the being has never attacked them, even after years in her peripheral, only serves to help settle her nerves about the whole thing.

After enough time, she even begins to worry when too long would pass without seeing her mystery stalker.

The air and waters have begun to cool and thrash, marking the coming of winter, a harsh one at that. The journey they are on now is to be their last one for the season, and just as well as the ship is in need of some repairs. Wind batters against the side, bobbing them on the surface as the net drags heavily through the waters below.

"It's caught on something!" Soren, her brother, calls out from his place manning the winch.

No sooner than his shout rang out across the deck did the entire ship start to lurch sharply to the starboard side, the same side the net was on. The other crew members on the ship move to help Soren with the winch that's straining with the weight of whatever it is pulling on the net, Saleer and Kasef both working to relieve the pressure on the mechanism. Despite their combined efforts, the pull from the depths continues and their ship veers dangerously far into the water that begins to lap onto the deck they stand on, soaking their boots through.

She can't really help in any meaningful way, whatever has a hold of their vessel refusing to desist and forcing the frame holding up the net to bend further than she would have even thought possible. How it hasn't snapped yet is a wonder in itself.

"Move back from the winch!" Her father shouts from somewhere up on the bridge behind her.

Responding swiftly to the command, Soren and the others free their resistance on the winch right as her father fires the harpoon gun down in the direction of the net. His mark must have been true - the resistance disappearing and causing the ship to jerk back in the opposite direction of where it had been tilted, teetering back and forth a few times before righting itself.

Viren moves down from his place at the harpoon, taking over the process of winching up the net to investigate what they had nearly been sunk by. Just as the net begins to break the surface of the water, the ocean continues to reach up beyond the edge of its realm, grabbing futilely at the net in a last effort to hold onto its own. Magic swirls in the ripples, hinting as to the source of the unusual behaviour from the seas.

The net eventually is pulled onto the deck, Soren and Kasef working to pull it away from the ocean that had given them so much trouble. Claudia does not get a clear view of what they've caught until the boys both jump back and away, Kasef landing hard on his behind in his retreat.

Lilac eyes, furious and wild and flashing inhumanly, meet her own for a second time. Years have filled between this time and last, but the same shock of cold fear runs through her and roots her in place. Seeing one this close, some of the stories are clearly exaggerated; the being in front of her is both nothing like them, but all too similar at the same time. Clearly a she, white hair reflecting the light in strange ways, not long enough to cover her breasts. Her skin is pale, with a tint to it that would not come naturally to a human, light purple colouring barely noticeable as it fades into darker scales by her hips. The differences grow from there - thin horns protruding from her head and pulsing with magic in patterns that repeat through the frills on her sides and tail, the same colour burning in her eyes. Ears curiously close to human twitch slightly with any noise, the main notable trait being the pointed tips they end with. Her tail, while long and impressive, was by no means as long as the stories had told. Her teeth, while sharp, don't look to be any more numerous than the ones Claudia has in her own mouth.

But there is no mistaking, this is the same one that has watched her for years - with the same beautiful long tail and shimmering scales that pulls to her to touch, to get closer, to look over the side of the ship all those years ago. With a little bit of pride, Claudia notices that she had apparently been right about the mermaid's age - if she were human she would look to be around twenty years old, they could be the same age. Claudia doesn't realise she must have stepped forward until she feels her father's firm hand on her shoulder, holding her back from the mythical sight sprawled mere metres away.

"Keep your distance, they're supposed to attract you." Viren holds her gaze for another pointed moment, not letting go until she steps back a few paces. He turns to disappear into the cabin, directing one last command to them all as they continue to stand gawking at the mermaid in front of them. "Do. Not. Touch. Her. The magic on her skin will burn you and never leave."

A webbed and clawed hand holds protectively against a spot below her scaled hip, thick blood pooling between pale fingers and leaking onto the deck, surely to stain. The harpoon must have caught her side badly, not impaling but only just, a deep wound easy to interpret from the blood that continues to flow and magic that doesn't appear to be able to stop it. The other arm is cradled against her bare chest, bent at an angle that is obviously incorrect despite their differences in anatomy. A sound suspiciously like a yelp had been heard when she landed and now the reason why was clear - that tail looks heavy and with her tangled in the net, it's likely she landed in an awkward way.

Claudia had wondered why she didn't fight them more, or try to escape. Now she knows.

She can't.

With an injured tail and a broken arm, any escape is unlikely. Doing what she can to keep distance between herself and the human crew, the mermaid has shuffled herself back against the side of the deck but the wall behind her might as well be miles high. Breathing with difficulty, she has abandoned trying to get out of the net, focusing what strength she has on the wound in her side.

"She'll fetch a fortune." Kasef finally manages to speak, inching closer but is pulled away by Saleer.

"She looks scared..." Soren is standing by her side, brows furrowed. His voice is low, only Claudia can hear him and she turns to catch his eye.

Kasef and Saleer are bickering a little where they stand off to the side of the mermaid, who watches them both with suspicion, angling her body slightly away. Something hard is pressed into her hand, coaxing her attention down to find that Soren is discreetly pressing his sword into her hand. Taking it, she glances up to give him a look full of curiosity, and he motions towards the mermaid still caught in the net.

"We can help..."

Viren is still missing from the deck, if they're going to do something it will have to be now, before he comes back.

Those lilac eyes watch her now, watch the sword in her hand, flitting between her own green ones and the weapon she holds. Claudia's stomach turns at the thought of what she must be thinking - Soren is right, she does look scared.

This is wrong. They have to do something.

When she nods her agreement to her brother, he moves slowly in the direction of where Kasef and Saleer are distracted until he has a clear path to them both. A last nod to each other and he lunges across the deck, tackling both crew members to the ground and drawing their full attention to him. She wouldn't be able to hold them both off like Soren can, so that leaves her with the task of freeing the beautiful creature they have caught and injured, while they have the chance.

Those eyes widen sharply at her approach, and Claudia feels the damp tail thump hard against against her legs in an effort to keep her away. Adrenaline is the only thing that keeps her on her feet, the impact strong despite the injury keeping the mermaid trapped on the boat. Pushing the tail aside, the burn of magic hisses against her hand but she focuses her attention on the net, grabbing chunks and slashing a path through that should be big enough for the widest part of the tail and then some. The heavy tail settles by her side, its owner realising what it is she is trying to do and keeping still as she cuts at the net.

Claudia can hear the men fighting with each other, muffled in her ears as she drops the sword and prepares herself for the next step - she needs to get the mermaid up and over the side of the ship. Falling back on her heels, she scans over the girl's body, trying to figure out the best way to lift her. Their eyes meet, so close it knocks the breath from Claudia's lungs, and the mermaid opens her mouth as if she's about to say something.

"What are you doing?!"

Time is up.

Her father's steps come booming down the stairs to the deck, approaching fast. Gritting her teeth for what she's about to do, Claudia leans down and drags a scaled arm around her shoulders, hefting them both up off the wooden boards. Pain explodes across her bare shoulders and down her arm where their skin touches, her vest not nearly enough protection against the pure magic being burned into her. With no shortage of struggling, she manages to lift the mermaid up high enough that her hips are above the edge of the ship, the girl in her arms trying unsuccessfully to help. Claudia lifts her tail up and allows the mermaid the leverage to disappear over the side, the entire net going along with her and vanishing back under the water surface.

Hopefully she'll be okay, even with her injuries.

Kasef has finally managed to down Soren, pinning him on the wooden boards just as Viren reaches them all.

"What do you two think you're doing?! She could have set us up for life!"

Face red with anger, he directs his question between both of his children before it is replaced with concern. He moves towards Claudia who is starting to shiver and sway, the pain across her shoulders no longer dulled by adrenaline, reaching out cautiously to steady her.

Strong arms catch her when her legs give out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scent of medical salve clings to her nose and nips her lungs, pulling her out of her deep slumber and into a room she does not recognise. Voices and movements can be heard just beyond the curtain surrounding the bed she lies in, and combined with the smell of medicine confirms she is in a healer's office.

For some reason, she is on her stomach on the bed and she never sleeps that way. Moving proves to be the wrong choice, pain stinging across her shoulders as she attempts to lift herself up and replacing her stolen breaths with the memories of what had happened. Being on her stomach makes sense now - it's to keep her off of her shoulders and the arm she had around the mermaid.

The mermaid...

It's hard to believe she'd actually held one. And lived to tell the tale.

An investigative touch comes away covered in some sort of lotion, the salve she can smell everywhere. With it doing its job to soothe her injuries, she can finally look properly at the damage done to her body. Magic pulses and throbs across the skin on her arm, a vibrant purple just like the magic on the mermaid's own body. It swirls in a pattern, twisting and moving of its own volition, and Claudia recognises it with a start - even the pattern matches with the one she'd seen on her frills and horns.

Muscles straining in argument at the rough treatment they'd been subjected to, Claudia pushes herself up and moves to the mirror in the corner of her little privacy space. The top she had been wearing had already been removed by the nurses, presumably to allow the salve to settle into her skin, leaving her in just her bra.

Seeing the magic on her body up close was far less startling than the full view in the mirror; for a start, it was harder to get a proper sense of just how _much_ of her had been burned, the purple staining her skin from her left wrist all the way up her arm and across her back reaching her right shoulder. Even her left side that had been pressed up against the other's skin showed speckled marks across her ribs, the vest she'd been wearing not thick enough to protect against so much magic, so close.

"You're awake! Oh, thank god!" Soren rushes towards her, about to pull her into a bearhug before stopping at the last second, glancing guiltily at her arm as he drops his own back to his sides. "I... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have made you help me. I didn't think it through properly, or about what would happen to you."

He won't look at her, focusing on his shoes and looking a bit red around the eyes like he's trying not to cry. Bruises mark his cheek and jaw, souvenirs from his impromptu tousle with Saleer and Kasef. A small, surprised noise escapes Soren when she presses into him, seeking the hug he was too afraid to give her, and he settles his arms lightly around her in return.

"We did the right thing. I don't blame you, so please don't blame yourself."

"Thanks, Clauds."

"Where's dad?"

"He went to get us some stuff from the ship. Don't worry, he'll just be happy to see you're okay. I'll go get him."

The nurse chooses that moment to appear through the gap in the curtain left by Soren, and her swift entry suggests that she might have been listening in for them to finish their conversation.

"May I have a moment alone with the patient? I need to check her condition." Not waiting for an answer, the mousy woman makes her way over to the window, gesturing for Claudia to stand in front of the light streaming in so she can examine her.

Soren leaves to fetch their dad and the nurse starts her examination, moving Claudia's arms out to her sides and doing a rather painful exercise to grade the severity of the burns on various parts of Claudia's body. Once done, she floats off for a few moments and returns with a container of some sort of glowing lotion, handing it to Claudia.

"Your burns are the most severe across the tops of your shoulders, as well as the inside of your left bicep. This lotion should be able to help numb the pain, apply it twice a day and keep the area clean." The nurse pauses for a second in her recital, a sad look in her eye as she places a motherly hand on Claudia's uninjured arm. "I'm afraid these kinds of burns never truly heal. It will lessen in time, and the prescription will help, but there is not much else we can do. I'm sorry."

The hand falls from her arm, and she is left alone on the bed waiting for her family, who don't take long to make their entrance - Claudia can hear both of their loud footsteps the second they walk in the door. Her father's worried face appears moments later, lighting up in relief at seeing her awake and alert.

Soren was right, Viren doesn't look angry like she had expected and she ends up crushed in another hug between the two of them. They're both pressing on her burns in a way that makes her wince, but she doesn't want them to stop either. If this is going to be her new normal, she might as well start getting used to it. Blue eyes filled with worry, and the barest hint of tears, look down at her when they all pull away.

"Don't ever scare us like that again. I don't think I'll live through it."

"I'm sorry... Are you upset with us?"

Viren looks off to the side with a sigh lifting his shoulders, before focusing back on her. He knows she's not talking about her injuries.

"I am upset, yes. But I am _more_ upset at you putting yourself in danger like that." A pointed look to both of them. "Saleer and Kasef are also not exactly pleased, and you both owe them an apology for your actions. I have let them go for the season already, so you will have some time to decide what to say to them."

That's a relief, at least they're not going to be met with angry faces when they go back to the ship.

"Come on, let's go home."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Winter is spent on the repairs to the ship that needed done, now more than ever thanks to their scuffle with the mermaid and the sea. New netting, frame and winch mechanism were required - the old frame bent and sitting at an angle off the boat that rendered it unusable. Dark, purple blood still staining the deck surprisingly does not seem to bother her father, but each time her eyes glance over the mark something tugs low in her stomach. Only after a few of those tugs does she understand what it is she's feeling.

Guilt.

The blood does not come out easy. It takes almost a week of scrubbing and sanding to finally remove the last of it, sinking far deeper into the wood than she would have expected. The magic in her arm throbs as she works, like it knows what they did. It is a lot of blood. Claudia knows logically that the mermaid would have still been vulnerable even in the sea, with those injures.

She decides not to think about that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spring eventually dawns, calming the waves enough for them to go back out onto the ocean and move on with their lives. For whatever reason, both her father and Soren seem to be in high spirits; eager to properly test the new equipment they'd made, perhaps. Cool, salty sea air nips at her burned skin, soothing and scraping in equal measure. The further out to sea they go, the more it soothes - a quirk she does not notice immediately, but is thankful for when she does.

An old urge settles itself on her shoulders, that very first night back out on the water. Alone on the deck, the stars glimmer brightly above and and rain down all the way from the sky to the water, far from the land that would break the illusion at the horizon. The rest of the ship crew are below deck, there's no one watching her.

She looks over the side and into the water.

There's no one watching her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Humans do not intentionally swim in the ocean anymore. They haven't for a very long time.

But very few of _them_ have held a mermaid in their arms. Not like she has. Not willingly.

That may be why she does not panic when she falls overboard. Secrets of the ocean seem less scary when you've seen its own fear gazing back at you.

Though _fall_ is not the most accurate descriptor for how she ends up in the water - rigging coming loose and causing the sail to swing into her much more of a push than a fall. Soren's cry right before the boom hits her is too late, the weight of it easily tosses her over the side like a doll cast from a pram, but not before feeling her back crack hard against the wooden post. Water replaces the air forced from her lungs, and she struggles to right herself with the waves crashing into her and holding her under.

Strong arms wrap around her, dragging her bodily to the surface. They break the edge of the water and she breathes air into lungs that ache, turning to see who it is holding her up. Disappointment at seeing Soren in the water next to her strikes hard in her chest.

She had hoped for something, _someone_ else.

After, while trying to warm on the deck bundled next to Soren under a blanket, she does not notice that her burns do not hurt her. Does not notice until the pain slowly fades back in, hours later.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The summer market opens like it does every year, bustling with traders and goods. They spend time docked during the summer trading in the market, some years are better than others. This year is a good one, thankfully.

As much as she enjoys travelling, sometimes it is nice to be still for a while.

Seaweed clings to the rocks under her feet forcing her to watch her steps, following the path she used to when she was younger, under the docks and around the cliff face that sticks out past the edge of the harbour. A journey that was easier when she didn't care as much about possibly slipping. Rounding the edge, she disappears from the view of anyone in the harbour.

Large stones come up high enough out of the water that they can be sat on to watch the sun rise and set. She'd spent many hours hiding here, just the sea and the sky stretched out in front of her. The cold stone under her is comforting, familiar.

The sky shifts slowly through the evening hours - moving from blue, to pink, to orange that burns up and turns to black, revealing the stars high above. Night air nips at her skin, coaxing her to leave and drawing her attention to the pattern on her arm. Months later, it does not seem to be fading at all, even glowing faintly through the thin material of her sleeve. It burns a bit less now though, thanks to the lotion she had been given.

There was only one other time it hadn't burned - when she had fallen in the sea.

It was not something she had given much thought to, but curiosity begins to get the better of her. No one can see her past the cliff covering the entrance to the harbour. Discarding her boots and the shirt she is wearing on the rocks, she eases down towards the sea until standing right on the edge of the stones.

Under the dark of the night, there's no way to know what lies under the surface of the water and she hesitates, rules and stories heard over a lifetime holding her back from taking the last step off the rocks.

But, she knows that at least some of them aren't true - she looked into the eyes of the ocean, and lived just fine. Magic indeed was burned into her skin by a powerful being she should have been afraid of, yes; but it was not out of malice. No rows of shark-like teeth, nor a tail longer than three men, or any number of the other things people say. She feels less afraid now than she did years ago. Eyes closed, she draws a last breath for courage and braces to step off the ledge.

"You are going to get yourself killed."

Claudia freezes in place, the accented voice unlike any she's heard before and yet already known down to her very bones. A few seconds pass as she doesn't move, slowly opening her eyes after her heart calms itself somewhat.

Lilac eyes meet hers for a third time, though lacking the intensity from their previous interactions. Mirth flirts with the edges of her mouth, the barest hint of a smile as she gazes up at Claudia still standing like a fool on the edges of the rocks, floating just far enough away from the stones to be out of reach. Claudia's voice breaks a little when she tries to speak, and she covers it up with a cough, sitting down on the edge of the rocks to be closer to the water.

"I thought... I'm happy to see that you're okay."

The mermaid inches closer now that she's sitting down, and Claudia both sees and feels her eyes scanning over the marks on her body, left by her touch.

"I can soothe that for you. If you want. That's why I came."

"You came to check on me?"

"I came to help. You helped me, I don't want you to be in pain because of it."

"Then that would be very kind, thank you."

At her agreement, the mermaid swims the last few feet between them to pull herself up slightly against the rocks to Claudia's side. Bracing her weight on one hand, the other lifts to press a cool finger on her burnt skin, tracing a pattern on her arm. Distracted as she is with her spell, Claudia has a few seconds to study her face - faint markings run down each of her cheeks, which she had not noticed during the chaos on the boat. It only serves to make her even more beautiful, and Claudia hopes her heartbeat isn't actually as loud as it sounds pounding in her ears. The soothing chill from her finger follows the pattern of the spell, flushing out across her body when the mermaid finally removes her hand and washing away all the pain.

It does not remove the magic though, unlike she had been expecting. The purple markings remain in her skin, pulsing even more vibrantly after being touched by their maker.

"I guess that means these are permanent then, huh?" Claudia touches her arm, confirms that it no longer hurts when pressed against.

"Does that bother you?" She bobs lightly in the water, the hand bracing her on the stones still keeping her at Claudia's side.

"I... No, it doesn't." It really doesn't, for a reason Claudia does not want to explore right now.

"Good. My name is Rayla."

"Claudia."

She extends a hand towards the mermaid in greeting, which causes her to retreat a little.

"Healing the pain won't stop you being marked by my skin, so unless you're wanting to end up covered in magic I can't shake your hand right now."

"Oh. Well, thank you for warning me."

"You are welcome."

Silence settles between them both for a moment, and they realise they're just staring at one another. Clearing her throat, Rayla pushes away from the rocks and turns as if to leave.

"Will I see you again?"

Rayla spins back around slowly at her question, an unreadable expression on her face as she hesitates on her words.

"I don't think that's wise. It's dangerous for both of us."

"It was dangerous five years ago too, that never stopped you before."

Rayla doesn't answer, glancing away from Claudia. In her gut, Claudia can't shake the feeling that she is toeing a line somewhere with this conversation but is unwilling to let Rayla just slip away into the night without some answers.

"Why were you following me? It's been a long time since we first saw each other, did you not get bored?"

"...there are a lot of human men on the oceans, not so many women. And the few that do sail at sea look nothing like you. I'd never seen someone like you before."

"You... just wanted to see me? Why?"

The magic in her horns begins to glow slightly brighter than it was a moment ago, and the markings on her cheeks grow more prominent, standing out against her pale skin. She almost looks... embarrassed? Can mermaids get embarrassed?

Claudia doesn't get the chance to ask, Rayla disappearing under the surface of the water with a splash of her tail and no goodbye. Though, she did find out something from that reaction and it seems she had thought wrong - Rayla is not a mystery stalker, but a mystery admirer.

**Author's Note:**

> Notes for this story:  
> Claudia is 5'9", she's not a small girl and has spent her life working on her dad's boat. I reckon she would be strong enough to wrestle Rayla over the side of the ship, especially with adrenaline running through her. 
> 
> When I say about the magic burns on Claudia's skin pulsing, imagine like Janai's heat mode but purple and in the pattern that's on Rayla's horns. 
> 
> As always, kudos and comment below if you've enjoyed! :)


End file.
